


Like They Do in the Pictures

by laughing_unintentionally



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Human, Established Relationship, F/M, Future Fic, Grief/Mourning, I Don't Even Know, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski Business Partners, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, M/M, Pack Nights, Please Don't Hate Me, Sorry Not Sorry, friday night dinners, sterek feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 16:40:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2236077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laughing_unintentionally/pseuds/laughing_unintentionally
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's just a normal Friday night dinner at the Hale-Stilinski home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like They Do in the Pictures

**Author's Note:**

> So I was listening to the song "Goodnight" from Cher Lloyd and this happened. The title is also a lyric from the song. I wish I was sorry about this.
> 
> Unbeta'd
> 
> First try writing something like this at all.

Friday nights were pack nights. That’s what Stiles liked to call their group, a wolf pack. Derek had just enough time to set the table before their guests started to arrive. He made sure that the table cloth wasn’t wrinkled. He set out six plates, then the fork and knife to the left and the spoon to the right. He made sure everyone had enough elbow room on their long dining table. Stiles and Derek were always the host for gatherings, whether it was holidays or game days you would find their family and friends there at the table for dinner. He set out the wine glasses, making sure there were no smudges on any of them.

He had setting the table down to a science. It was a routine and he liked to do it. He was always the one to set the table while Stiles did the cooking. It kept his mind off of the bad that happened in his life before Stiles. He replayed Stiles’ words in his head when he was setting the table, going through his breathing exercises and making sure he never dwelled on anything negative for too long. He was getting better, feeling better. He even caught himself smiling for no reason at all the other day.  
The doorbell rang and he went to answer it.

“Scott. Kira. Please, come in,” Derek said as he ushered them inside of the house. They smiled at him and hung their coats on the rack.

“It’s getting chilly out there, isn’t it?”

“I know, man! I don’t know how people live anywhere but California because if I’m cold in _this_ then I do not want to know what it’s like on the East,” Scott said. His words were always easy, always smooth and warm like Stiles’. Derek understood how they became so close over the years. They were practically the same person, except for their sexuality and Stiles’ ADHD that is.

Just as they reached the table the doorbell rang again.

“I’ll be right back,” Derek said as the couple took their seats.

“Liam, Lydia. How are you today?”

“Today has been hectic, I cannot even begin to tell you the hell work put me through. Let’s just say I am more than excited for this glass of wine and amazing food that I’m about to eat,” Lydia said as she rushed in from the cool fall evening. Liam rolled his eyes as he walked in.

“I don’t know why you’re frazzled. You weren’t the one that had to deal with all of those people and their complaints.” Lydia had hired Liam as one of her assistants at the company that she and Stiles had started their junior year of college. He was in charge of customer relations and had to deal with a large amount of complaints from very angry people. That was something that Derek did not envy him for.

“Oh, hush. It’s still tiring having to just _know_ that my people are upset with my company.”

“Lydia,” Scott said as they entered the dining room. “The public loves you. You’ll figure out how to win them over again.”

“This why I love you Scott. You are always that ray of sunshine in my darkest times.”

“You’re being dramatic now,” Kira said as they all took their seats.

Derek grabbed the wine and the food for them before taking his own seat. If anyone was keeping count, there were six place settings and only five guests. No one ever said anything about it, it was just known that there was always an extra place setting at the table.

Stiles had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, the same as his mother. When he passed, Derek had a hard time letting go. It was hard at first for their friends to accept the place setting, especially around the holidays. But after two years of Friday night dinners they had all but become reliant on it. And if Derek set the table for two even when it was just him, well no one had to know about it. Sometimes he even sprayed Stiles’ cologne on the chair that he always sat at just so he could feel him more strongly.

He still found himself referencing himself as us or we instead of I. Stiles was his forever and when he had been diagnosed the Sheriff looked Derek in the eyes and told him that there was no such thing as forever. That Stiles would die and that he needed to prepare himself for that. It was hard on the Sheriff, but he and Melissa had moved to Florida when he retired and they seemed happy from their pictures and letters. Derek was still in his adjustment phase, he needed more than anything to believe in forever because that was all he had now.

He looked around at the table and smiled at his friends, it was getting easier but he knew that he would never stop setting Stiles’ place at the table. It meant too much to too many people now.


End file.
